I am up late writing tomorrow’s post in advance. Tomorrow we have the whole day off, and I am planning to do some serious resting and reading.
I have put up a page as part of the dog guide FAQ that includes questions about dog guide training. One question turned into a long answer; and I decided that it would make a great day 14 bonus post. Pleas pass it on if you learned something from it.
If the dog is ready to guide, why can’t you just bring it home? Why do you have to do another training if you had a dog guide before?
These are good questions that I am asked more times than I can count. People are often alarmed when they learn that one of my dogs will be retiring, and it seems very important to them that I have my new dog home as soon as possible so that I can travel safely again.
First, I want people to know that while I absolutely agree that traveling with a guide dog makes me feel most dignified and independent and it is my preferred method of travel, it is not impossible for a blind person to travel without a dog guide. This topic deserves its own detailed discussion; but I need to include it as part of this topic as well because the truth about the cane and the answer to the question about dog guide training are bound together. The symbolism of dog guides and dignity and independence is very powerful; but the usefulness of the cane, which came along as a tool for independent travel later in history in response to the needs of blinded war veterans, must not be ignored. A blind person who is waiting for a new dog will continue to do all the same things that she has always done. She will just do them differently and will go through the process of grieving the loss of a working partner while doing them.
The discussion of why a person cannot just go and pick up a dog and bring it home is complex and best illustrated using my own experiences as examples. This is not to say that everyone else’s experiences are like mine. Everyone’s experiences are their own; but many have common elements; and I hope to bring those common elements to light in my discussion.
While I am very familiar with the methods of working with a dog guide, there are good reasons for me to return to training with a new dog. I have never met this new dog. I need to learn how to interpret her individual body language–and she may tell me things in very different ways from the ways in which my last dog told me things. She may walk at a different pace, stop farther back from the curb, get distracted by different things, etc. These are all things that are better for me to learn while someone else is with me who knows her than while I am trying to get somewhere alone in a hurry. Of course, I will learn things about her throughout her life; but the more I can learn about her during the first few weeks, the safer I will be when we begin to get serious about our travels together.
Another good reason for me to return to training is so that I can have a bit of guidance in unlearning some of the bad habits that I might have developed as ways to compensate for weaknesses that my previous dog developed as she grew older. For instance, Loretta was very hesitant to guide in areas with dim lighting in the last year of her working life. In my training with Kathie, I have worked consciously to be sure to always let her take the first step forward and, in fact, to let her be the one to guide in the building even though I am familiar with it. The Seeing Eye has routines concerning when and where we are expected to work the dogs and when we are able to let our hair down. I have been very careful to follow these routines. My orientation is good, and at times it is very tempting to break them. That temptation tells me how strong my habit of compensating for Loretta’s dislike of dim lighting was in familiar places. I would drop her harness and heel her down the hall at my church without a second thought. Now I am learning to allow my young dog, who has good eyesight, to work.
A return to training also allows me to focus completely on the new dog instead of dividing my attention between her and other people, duties, animals in the house (perhaps including a retired guide), etc. In this space, I am able to benefit from the support of other people who have retired dogs and understand the experience of transitioning from one dog to another. The Seeing Eye holds a support meeting so that people who are transitioning can share support and experiences.
A return to training also allows me to learn new working techniques and have access to other information that is vital to me as a guide dog user. During training, we hear from the school’s veterinarians and other training staff about dog health and care; dog fears and senses; traffic safety; legislation and advocacy tips; and tips for handling special situations with our dogs. We can download these presentations on the web site; but the advantage of being in class is that we are able to ask questions and compare notes with each other.
- Learning From My Younger Self - February 10, 2024
- more reflections on ITD - June 30, 2023
- On travel while at ITD: reflections after day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- Job Descriptions, Inclusivity, and Equity for People with Disabilities - October 15, 2022
- Traveling without a Guide Dog: Experience with Cane and Walker - October 14, 2022
- Disability and Church, Intersection - June 11, 2022
- Review: When Chronic Pain and Illness Take Everything Away - June 11, 2022
- Grammar and Style Resources for Writers - June 9, 2022
